PROPUESTAS DESDE EL RELATO ORAL
3. De La cenicienta a las princesas del Hola La vigencia de un mito En este capítulo proponemos trabajar los conceptos que hemos desarrollado en el
Taking the demand side definition introduced above, tourism can be seen to encompass a range of activities and trip purposes, attracting a broad range of visitors, each of which are likely to generate very different spatial and temporal characteristics and associated consumption. In order to identify the economic impacts of tourism, visitors are commonly segmented into a number of clearly identifiable groups, based either on their own characteristics, or characteristics of their visit. Within the literature, industry insights and destination-level surveys of visitors, visitors are commonly segmented based on their demographic or socio-economic characteristics, nationality or spatial origin. Often the National Readership Survey (NRS) social grade classification is used (Williams, 2008), as applied and explored further in Chapter 4. This type of segmentation has largely developed as a tool to assist tourist organisations to market destinations (which could be a nation, region, individual resort or attraction), focussing resources on the profile of visitors that a destination attracts (Svensson et al., 2010; Thornton et al., 1997; WTO and ETC, 2007). Thus, segmentation is used as a tool to target visitors that have a higher overall expenditure, such that the overall capacity within a destination or attraction is used to maximum benefit (Svensson et al., 2010).
In collecting data on visitors and their associated expenditure, a clear distinction is made between inbound (international) visitors, domestic overnight visitors and day visitors (Figure
3
.1
). Visitors are also commonly segmented by the purpose of their trip. This isrecognised to have a clear impact on seasonal and spatial patterns of visitor expenditure (Charles-Edwards, 2011).
Figure
3
.1
- Segmentation of visitors by origin and trip purposeInbound tourism (representing foreign nationals visiting the UK) is an area where the UK has traditionally been strong, driven in part by the large number of ex-pats returning to visit friends and relatives (WTO and ETC, 2007). Active marketing by national and regional tourist organisations (particularly during the 2012 Olympic Games), and the relatively weak value of Sterling (which boosts inbound tourism) have driven growth in this sector. However, UK Government Tourism Policy (DCMS, 2011) clearly identifies that domestic tourism is “far larger and more important to the [tourism sector] overall”, particularly since domestic tourists exhibit a far greater propensity to contribute to demand across the UK’s regions. Domestic visitors generate expenditure in coastal and countryside areas alongside major cities and attractions, which are a key focus for international visitors (DCMS, 2011). The domestic tourism market is important not only for its overall contribution to tourist spend in the UK (with Mintel (2011a) analysis forecasting a 5.7% increase in spend on domestic trips up to 2016), but also as a driver of grocery spend by tourists (most notably for self-catered trips (Timothy, 2005)).
Figure 3.2 illustrates the spatial distribution of domestic (overnight) trips in England at the regional level. Data has been drawn from the UKTS (see section 3.3.1.2) and is broken down by trip purpose, based on the headline categories of Holiday, VFR and Business tourism. Over 25% of both holiday and VFR trips by UK residents are to the South West region, which incorporates popular coastal destinations within the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset. The South East also attracts over 15% of domestic holiday visits and around a quarter of business trips. Other regions generally attract between 5% and 15% of the total domestic tourism market (by number of trips) highlighting the importance of domestic tourism in supporting regional economies in the UK.
Domestic visits, especially those that represent holidays, tend to exhibit a pronounced seasonal distribution, peaking during the school summer holiday period (August) (Figure
3
.3
). Based on data relating to 2010, Figure3
.3
disaggregates holiday trips into those of three nights or less (short breaks) and those of over 4 nights. Holidays over 4 nightsdemonstrate a very clear seasonal distribution, with over 60% of these trips starting between July and September. By contrast, business tourism tends to peak in the low season (e.g. February), whilst VFR experiences considerable uplift at Christmas. These seasonal variations are driven by interrelated demand and supply side factors. These include the weather, the institutional calendar (timing of national holidays, major religious festivals and school or university term dates), local events and festivals and the seasonal availability of key visitor facilities and services, such as accommodation. It is these seasonal variations that impact upon the trading performance of stores in major resorts.
Figure 3.2 - Spatial pattern of domestic tourism (England) by number of trips
Source: UKTS (2010) extracted via online data browser: http://dservuk.tns- global.com
Figure
3
.3
- Seasonal pattern of domestic tourism (England) – visits to the South West region by trip purpose (2010)Source: UKTS (2010) extracted via online data browser: http://dservuk.tns- global.com/
Domestic visitors also make use of a broad range of accommodation which, in turn, gives rise to a complex range of seasonal and spatial patterns in visitor expenditure at the local level. Considering just the South West region, the accommodation used (by trip purpose) is outlined in Table 3.1. Within the South West, it is clear that self-catering accommodation (especially camping and caravanning) are important, together accounting for almost 60% of holiday trips. It was noted in Chapter 2 that visitors using these forms of accommodation are most likely to generate expenditure within grocery stores. By contrast, business travellers show a tendency to favour serviced accommodation. Each form of accommodation exhibits its own spatial distribution and seasonal occupancy patterns within a destination, giving rise to localised seasonal and spatial patterns of visitor expenditure (as explored throughout this thesis).
Table 3.1 - Accommodation usage by trip type for domestic visitors (England) to the South West region (2010)
% of trips by accommodation type
Type of Accommodation Holiday VFR Business
Hotels and guesthouses 24 11 50
Self-catering 26 2 3
Camping & Caravanning 32 3 13
Hostels 1 0.5 1
Own home/friends or relatives home 15 84 14
Other 1 0 19
Source: UKTS (2010) extracted via online data browser http://dservuk.tns-global.com/ Day visitors are also recognised to be an important part of UK tourist demand, contributing over £40bn annually to the economy (DCMS, 2011, p45). Day visits may be for leisure or business purposes and include visits to city centres for shopping, trips to visit friends and relatives, visits to take part in outdoor activities or for sightseeing (White, 2010b). Day visitors are particularly important during local events and festivals, where they are often found to significantly boost visitor numbers. Whilst their economic contribution is important, day visitors are difficult to identify, consumption habits are hard to ascertain and these visitors have traditionally been underrepresented in the major tourism surveys carried out in Great Britain (see section 3.3.1.3).
As well as exhibiting a clear seasonal distribution, domestic tourists (both day and overnight visitors) show a tendency to cluster around key destinations such as coastal resorts, generating local-level expenditure uplift. The growth and nature of tourism within these resorts is considered in section 3.2.2.